The New Way We Work

In this weeks 'Best Of' episode, Fast Company reporter Pavithra Mohan spoke to Nir Eyal, author of Indistractable: How To Control Your Attention And Choose your life. Nir gets to the heart of what’s really behind procrastination, and why discipline and willpower are a myth when it comes to combating distraction. And if you like what you hear in this episode, Nir is leading a workshop on this topic at Fast Company’s Innovation Festival on Tuesday September 28th, go to events.fastcompany.com to sign up.

On this episode, we’re going to talk about the gaming industry, which is worth more than 160 billion dollars globally. Over the past year and a half, as people have gone from sheltering at home to tentative re-engagement with the world to….whatever is in store for us this fall, games have taken on an outsized role in our lives. Amy sat down with Roham Gharegozlou, CEO of Dapper Labs, the company behind NBA Top Shot, to discuss why he wants to do far more than just digitize the age-old pastime of buying and selling trading cards.

Fast Company has been writing about how to beat distractions and find more focus at work for years, but right now all of the normal advice feels less practical. Between the stress and worry that has accompanied the pandemic and economic crisis--coupled with the tumultuous presidential election--staying focused can feel impossible. On today's 'Best Of' episode, we go back to November of 2020 when Kate Davis talked to Dr. Art Markman about how to manage stress and focus when it's all just too much.

In this episode, we’re talking about biotech and health. If this past year and a half is any indication, investment in these sectors is critical. We’ve seen how we can confront a global pandemic with fast-tracked RNA-based vaccines. We’ve harnessed genomics to track and diagnose illness as it spreads. And the rise of telemedicine has made healthcare more accessible to all. Amy talked with Twist Bioscience CEO and Co-founder Emily LeProust about the MIC winner's cutting-edge technology that has pioneered what’s known as synthetic DNA. It’s used in therapeutics and precision medicine, but has applications across agriculture, biomaterials, and even data storage.

Once upon a time, putting your head down, doing good work, and staying loyal to a company may have been enough to get a promotion. But these days, that's no longer the case. In today's constantly changing workforce, companies reward employees who can bring results and aren't afraid to be vocal about it. It's often on the individual to devise their own strategies and sometimes even design their own path. Sometimes, that preparation may take longer than you think. In this 'Best Of' episode of The New Way We Work, Kate and Anisa examine how to ask for--and land--that promotion.

On this week's 'Best Of' episode, we go back to 2019 when Kate and Anisa broke down how to prepare for a job interview and what employers are really asking with those common interview questions.

We're talking about AI in this episode. Once the villain of Sci Fi thrillers, AI is one of the most crucial—and misunderstood—sectors that we cover here at Fast Company. The truth is, AI—in some form or another—underpins the operations of just about every company these days, from powering self-driving technologies in our cars to serving up product recommendations when we’re shopping online. And though we’re increasingly aware of how algorithms can perpetuate and amplify inequities, AI is also being used by companies to solve some of the world’s most pressing problems, increasing crop yields, fighting disinformation, and helping us track and control a global pandemic. We're featuring one such company: Pachama, an MIC honoree that’s taking on climate change with the help of some advanced AI and data science. Amy speaks with Co-founder and CEO Diego Saez Gil about how Pachama is revolutionizing the fight against global warming.

On this "Best of The New Way We Work" episode, we go back to 2019 when Kate and Anisa dove into all things career-related, starting with the most basic tool to get your foot in the door: your resume. What are some resume mistakes you should stay away from? Are there common advice you’ve unknowingly follow that hiring managers and recruiters actually hate? The cohosts answer listener questions about resumes and Kate challenges her boss to debate common resume advice.

Of all the decisions that you'll have to make over the course of your career, one of the biggest is when it's the right time to leave a job? Like many career decisions, the answer isn't straightforward. As we discuss in this week's "Best Of" episode of The New Way We Work, some signs are more obvious than others. For starters, a toxic workplace is almost always never worth staying in. When a role or company no longer offers you the opportunities to grow, it might be time to look elsewhere. And when your job starts to impact other areas of your life in a negative way, you should, at minimum, assess the possibility of change.

Taking a vacation is not a given in our work culture and if you do, it's likely that you'll check a few work emails here and there. But not taking the time to disconnect can actually make you less productive.

On this episode, The New Way We Work is back with another one of our greatest hits. This one is from late 2019 and it’s a fun bonus episode where Kate Davis debates VP of Entertainment, Scott Mebus, on the controversial topic of unlimited vacation. The idea that employees can choose how much vacation they take has inspired passionate opinions on what’s appropriate for workers to expect, what a company hopes for in offering something so elusive, and how it plays out differently in practice than in theory. This is another one that’s gotten more relevant with time as the pandemic saw burned our workers taking even fewer vacation days.

This episode is from early 2019 where Kate Davis and former co-host, Anisa Purbasari-Horton, spoke to former lawyer turned burnout and resilience expert Paula Davis-Laack about why our work and achievement-centric culture might be to blame for the high rates of burnout in America, along with what signs we should look out for, and how we can prevent it from taking over our lives.

It has been over 100 episodes since this podcast began, first as Secrets of the Most Productive People and now The New Way We Work, so we are rebroadcasting some of the best episodes from the past 4 years this summer. In this episode from 2018, Kate Davis and Anisa Purbasari-Horton talked to author Tiffany Dufu about how to find work life balance.

On this week's episode, we feature highlights from Fast Company's Black in Tech special report. For the full report, follow this link: https://www.fastcompany.com/90644593/1-year-3-8-billion-later-how-2020s-race-reckoning-shook-up-big-tech

In this bonus episode, Kate Davis talks to senior staff editor Julia Herbst about Fast Company's second annual Queer 50 list. Plus, we hear highlights from interviews with this years honorees including Black Lives Matters co-founder Alicia Garza. To see the full list, follow this link: https://www.fastcompany.com/queer-50/2021

Kate Davis talks to Gabriel Arkles, Senior Counsel at the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund, about trans rights at work, healthcare disparities and his work on Aimee Stephens Supreme Court case last summer. Produced by Joshua Christensen

The New Way We Work would like to introduce you to a new podcast from Fast Company that we think you are going to love. It’s called Hit the Ground Running and it’s all about how to navigate the ever changing world of work as an early career professional. The show is hosted by Yasmin Gagne and Christina Royster, two women in their 20s on staff here at Fast Company. In this episode they talk about how to use social media as a working professional. Subscribe to Hit the Ground Running by following the links below: Apple Podcasts Spotify Fastcompany.com

Kate Davis talks to LaFawn Davis, Group Vice President of Environmental, Social & Governance at Indeed, about how to make a more inclusive workplace for LGBTQ+ employees, intersectionality, and the spike of anti-trans legislation in states across the country. Produced by Joshua Christensen

According to Simply Insurance, nearly 6% of Americans will experience a short-term disability each year, and around 40% of those people will have their applications for disability insurance declined. On this episode, Kate Davis reports on how difficult it can be to qualify for temporary disability. More on this topic from Fastcompany.com: https://www.fastcompany.com/90414895/exclusive-i-left-google-because-of-pregnancy-discrimination Produced by Joshua Christensen

Kate Davis speaks with Hiren Shukla, the founder and global leader of Neuro-Diverse Centers of Excellence at EY Global, about how neurodiverse persons are so often marginalized in the workforce. Read more on fastcompany.com: https://www.fastcompany.com/40421510/what-is-neurodiversity-and-why-companies-should-embrace-it https://www.fastcompany.com/90424650/too-often-neurodiverse-hiring-efforts-overlook-female-job-seekers https://www.fastcompany.com/90543909/how-companies-can-support-neurodiverse-employees-who-choose-to-come-out Produced by Joshua Christensen

We take a look back at the history of disabled workers rights legislation over the past century and how there are still loopholes and gaps that employers can exploit to discriminate. See full text of the ADA here

Kate Davis talks with Lydia X. Z. Brown about how disabled workers have to go about disclosing disabilities at work and what companies should be doing to make their hiring processes more equitable. Lydia is a scholar and advocate in disability studies and technology policy and also the Policy Counsel for the Privacy & Data Project at the Center for Democracy & Technology.

Kate Davis takes a look back at two moments in U.S. history when our government nearly had universal childcare, but failed to follow through. Fast Company has been reporting on the recent attacks on AAPI people and ways you can get involved and help, from places you can donate and volunteer to how you can help build a more inclusive workplace for everyone. Here are links to those stories: https://www.fastcompany.com/90616185/these-groups-are-fighting-anti-asian-violence-in-america-heres-how-you-can-help-them https://www.fastcompany.com/90622433/how-to-support-asian-owned-businesses-yelp-just-made-it-easier https://www.fastcompany.com/40590269/asian-americans-on-being-likable-in-the-modern-workplace https://www.fastcompany.com/90201530/heres-another-reason-why-the-model-minority-myth-is-so-damaging

Kate Davis talks with author, speaker and podcast host Claudia Reuter about the penalty women face when they decide to have children.

Fast Company reporter Pavithra Mohan explains the history of women being pushed out of the workforce going back to the beginning of the 20th century.

Kate Davis talks to Michelle Ryan about her research on the glass cliff. Ryan is a professor of social and organisational psychology at the University of Exeter. She’s also the incoming director of the Global Institute of Women’s Leadership at the Australian National University. She, along with Alex Haslam, coined the term “glass cliff” as part of their research back in 2004.

On this bonus episode, we hear Jenna's story of landing her dream job in broadcast news and leaving that industry behind to find a more equitable workplace that allowed her to have a family without sacrificing income and stability.

Kate Davis talks to Maria Colacurcio, CEO of Syndio, about the gender pay gap, pay equity, and what companies can do to make real progress in closing the gap. Links to more reporting on the pay gap from FastCompany.com: https://www.fastcompany.com/90609641 https://www.fastcompany.com/section/short-changed

On this bonus episode, Kate Davis and her producer, Josh Christensen, recap lessons learned from the last five episodes on race in the workplace. Then, we hear from Kelly and his experience as a Black man in white dominant work culture.

Kate Davis talks to Dr. Courtney McCluney, assistant professor of organizational behavior at Cornell University, about code-switching at work and what companies really mean when they talk about "culture fit".

On this bonus episode, Fast Company reporter, Lydia Dishman, takes us through the history of diversity and racial bias training. From the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to Reagan's deregulation to the events of this past summer.

Kate Davis talks to Mimi Fox Melton, acting CEO of Code 2040, about how white privilege manifests in the work place and tone policing. Subscribe to The New Way We Work on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.

Fast Company Staff Writer, Pavithra Mohan, dives into the limitations of diversity reports like the ones we've seen from companies like Google, Facebook and Amazon since 2014.

Kate Davis talks with Racial Equity Strategist and Leadership Coach, Dorianne St. Fleur, about where companies can start in building a more equitable workplace. Then, Kate talks with Porter Braswell, co-founder and CEO of Jopwell, about the myth of the pipeline problem. This episode of The New Way We Work is sponsored by Cove, the stress cancelling wearable. Cove is now available at FeelCove.com

Secrets of the Most Productive People returns January 25 with new episodes and new name.

In this bonus episode, you'll hear highlights from interviews with Brandy Zadrozny, Bubba Wallace, N.K. Jemisin, Gina McCarthy and Jacqui Guichelaar.

On December 16, Fast Company Podcast Network went live on Facebook and Youtube. Creative Conversation host, KC Ifeanyi, was joined by Kate Davis--host of Secrets of the Most Productive People--and Talib Visram--host of Fast Break--to talk about 2020.

Kate Davis is joined by Fast Company Staff Writer, Pavithra Mohan, and Alana Kaufman LCSW, a psychotherapist and the founder and director of the Talk Suite, to discuss how to cope with isolation this holiday season.

Kathaleen Pittman, who runs Hope Medical Group for Women--one of three clinics that provide abortions in Louisiana--shares her story about the continued threats to reproductive rights in Louisiana and running a clinic during the pandemic.

Kate Davis talks to Gemma Hartley--writer, reporter, and author of Fed Up: Emotional Labor, Women, and the Way Forward--about the disproportionate burden of emotional and unpaid labor women bear both at home and in the workplace.

This past June, after the world saw the horrific video of George Floyd being killed, millions took to the streets to protest the continued systemic oppression of Black Americans. This tragedy--and the activism that followed--made individuals examine their own complicity, families have tough conversations and workplaces reckon with their own culture, policies and approach to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. For a lot of companies this, sadly, may be the first time they are thinking about how equitable their office is...or, at the very least, that they haven’t done nearly enough. For many people of color, navigating work life is a minefield of microaggressions and ignorance. This is certainly the case for Shantelle. Shantelle is a Black woman who started her career in finance, but changed career paths about 10 years ago and began working in Marketing. This is her story.

Fast Company has been writing about how to beat distractions and find more focus at work for years, but right now all of the normal advice feels less practical. Between the stress and worry that has accompanied the pandemic and economic crisis--coupled with the tumultuous presidential election--staying focused can feel impossible. On today's episode, Kate Davis talks to Dr. Art Markman about how to manage stress and focus when it's all just too much.

On this week's Productivity Dispatch, we hear from Pedro who spent Election Day working at a polling place in his neighborhood.

Dorianne St. Fleur joins Kate Davis to discuss microaggressions in the work place, how to be an ally and DARVO. Dorianne is a Racial Equity Strategist and Leadership Coach who specializes in helping organizations build anti-racist workplaces.

Liz Neitge is an actor and bartender from New York City. When the pandemic hit in March, both her industries shut down over night. As restaurants began to re-open this summer, Liz attempted to re-enter the work force, but the risks gave her pause. This is her story.

Fast Company staff writer, Pavithra Mohan, joins host Kate Davis to discuss her reporting on individuals experiencing long term, lingering effects of COVID-19 and how they are fighting for understanding from employers.

The coronavirus pandemic has forever changed the world and the way we work. Right now, millions of American workers across every industry are on the front lines of figuring out this new normal. To highlight the stories of everyday people, Secrets of the Most Productive People is launching its new series, Productivity Dispatch: Stories From the New Way We Work. Our first story is from Jeanne, an emergency manager from New York.

Find our 2020 listener survey at fastcompany.com/mostproductivesurvey and submit your responses by October 9th for a chance to win a $50 gift card.

In this last episode in Secrets of the Most Productive Peoples “Reinventing Education” mini series, where we take a look at how school nurses are preparing for school reopening as well as what epidemiologists are thinking about how to emerge from this crisis.

In today’s episode we are take a look at the possible solutions to the child care crisis. Host Kate Davis is joined by Staff Writer Pavithra Mohan to discuss what businesses are doing to support working parents. Then, Kate talks to Lauren Hogan, Managing Director at the National Association for the Education of Young Children, to explore ideas of what bigger institutional changes can be made on a public policy level.